Up To Date

Missouri lawmakers redrew the state’s congressional lines in 2025, in an attempt to oust Kansas City Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and add a Republican seat to the U.S. House. But after a successful petition campaign, the new map was blocked from taking effect for this election, and voters in November will decide whether to approve or reject it.

Journalist Chuck Todd will be in Kansas City to accept the Make a Mark Leadership Award from the Poynter Institute this weekend. He joined KCUR’s Up To Date to discuss the midterm elections.

Up From Dust: Your personal tick survival guide

Kansas City is home to immigrants from over 30 countries in Africa. As the world’s second-largest continent, there’s no one type of “African” food, but you can find dishes from across the continent in the metro. 

If passed, Amendment 3 would repeal the abortion rights amendment enshrined in the Missouri Constitution in 2024. It would also add constitutional bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth in the state. 

domestic violence

Jeremy Hobson, the host of the public radio program "The Middle" is in Kansas City this week to moderate an American Public Square panel called "Turning Down the Heat: Rebuilding Trust in an Age of Outrage."

The Moth first brought its monthly storytelling open-mic nights known as StorySLAMs to Kansas City in 2024. Two years later, the crowds don't seem to be slowing down.

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd died last week. His family has said the job, which he held for nearly 24 years, brought him joy and also “considerable pain.” Up To Date spoke with two former prosecutors about the toll the job had on their mental health.  

A recent KCUR analysis reveals that data gathered by Kansas City-area Flock cameras has been searched hundreds of thousands of times by out-of-state police departments. Across the city, residents are concerned by how that data is being used. 

A proposed amendment would change the Kansas Constitution to say only U.S. citizens can vote, rather than “every” U.S. citizen. Proponents say the rephrase is necessary to clarify the rules, while opponents say the change could make voting more confusing. 

UTD_09-18-2026 urban ag

An update on KCUR after moving into our new building on the Country Club Plaza

Events like Lawrence Art in the Park, which will take place this weekend, Art Westport and the Plaza Art Fair are central to the business for many Kansas artists. It’s an opportunity to make a lot of sales, and to talk with the public about their work.

With so much TV, and so many films in theaters and on streaming platforms, it can be hard to know what’s most worth watching. Up To Date’s film experts shared their top titles so far this year.

The Kansas State Fair offered the first chance to see U.S. Senate candidates Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton and gubernatorial candidates Ty Masterson and Cindy Holscher square off. The raucous crowd at times shouted down candidates as they spoke.

The legal back and forth over Missouri's congressional maps this election cycle is unprecedented in American politics. 5th District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and his Republican general election opponent state Sen. Rick Brattin joined KCUR's Up To Date to share their thoughts on what has transpired.

University of Kansas professor Chris Koliba argues that the American social contract is fraying. He joined KCUR’s Up To Date to discuss how we got to this point and what the country can do about it.

Early next year, Jeff Maher of Overland Park will run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. He joined KCUR’s Up To Date to discuss how he is preparing for the races and why he decided to take on this challenge.

Charles Adair was in the midst of a mental health emergency when he turned himself into law enforcement for old traffic warrants. If sheriff’s deputies at the Wyandotte County, Kansas, jail had followed protocol for a mental health crisis, it might have prevented Adair’s death – which was ruled a homicide due to being restrained with a knee on his back.

The Kansas City Renaissance Festival began as a fundraiser for the Kansas City Art Institute in 1977, and this year is its 50th season. The festival opened September 5 and will run every weekend through October 12, rain or shine. 

The Caribbean country of Haiti is in the midst of a severe political and humanitarian crisis as it struggles to address widespread gang violence. Ahead of the 14th annual KC Haiti Symposium on Saturday, KCUR's Up To Date spoke with two Haitian journalists and a Kansas City doctor who runs a surgicenter in the country.

Dr. Sasha Hamdani's new book, "Too Sensitive," aims to provide a science-backed, empathetic framework for understanding why some people experience high emotional sensitivity. The Kansas City psychiatrist joined KCUR's Up To Date on Tuesday.

More than 700 patients were sued by a doctor in western Kansas for medical debt. The doctor is now Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, who for decades was a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist.

In a stunning unanimous ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court blocked the state’s newly redrawn congressional maps from going into effect for the 2026 midterm elections, and ordered a referendum on the gerrymandered map to be placed on the November ballot. But Republican leaders are appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.